Sharing the Message of the Cross
STEP
SCRIPTURE
SETTING
PEOPLE PRESENT
KEY THOUGHT
RELATED DETAILS
1.
Luke 22:40–50
Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus and Apostles
Judas and Soldiers
Arrested
Jesus prayed Apostles slept Jesus agonized Jesus submitted Judas betrayed
2.
Matthew 26:57–68
Before High Priest and Sanhedrin
Jesus, High Priest, Part of Sanhedrin Apostles at a distance
Tried
Jesus was struck with fists, spat upon, and mocked
3
Luke 23:1–6
Before Pilate
Jesus, Pilate, Priests, Sanhedrin Crowd
Examined
Accused Jesus Examined Jesus Found no fault Sent to Herod
4.
Luke 23:7–12
Before Herod
Jesus, Herod, Priests, Soldiers Crowd
Mocked
Accused, Mocked Jesus. Dressed Jesus in Herod’s old royal robe. Sent back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate became friends.
5.
Luke 23:13–23
Before Pilate a second time
Jesus, Pilate, Soldiers, Priests, Crowd, Pilate’s Wife
Sentenced
Barabbas released; Crowd incited; Crucifixion demanded; Jesus scourged; Pilate’s wife warned; Pilate washed his hands; Pilate yielded to pressure; Jesus sentenced to be crucified.
6.
Matthew 27:38–60; Luke 23:32–56
Calvary
Jesus; two thieves; Soldiers; Priests; Crowd; Disciples
Crucified
Nails driven through hands and feet; Priests and crowd mocked; Jesus’ seven last words; Darkness covered earth; Jesus died; Earthquake; Jesus was buried.
7.
Luke 24:1–12
Garden Tomb
Angels; Disciples
Raised
Jesus arose; Jesus appeared; Jesus ascended;
Darrell W. Robinson, People Sharing Jesus, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), p. 224
Red Square
It was May Day, 1990. The place, Moscow’s Red Square.
“Is it straight, Father?” one Orthodox priest asked another, shifting the heavy, eight-foot crucifix on his shoulder.
“Yes,” said the other. “It is straight.”
Together the two priests, along with a group of parishioners holding ropes that steadied the beams of the huge cross, walked the parade route. Before them was passed the official might of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: the usual May Day procession of tanks, missiles, troops, and salutes to the Communist party elite.
Behind the tanks surged a giant crowd of protesters, shouting up at Mikhail Gorbachev. “Bread! .Freedom! .Truth!”
As the throng passed directly in front of the Soviet leader standing in his place of honor, the priests hoisted their heavy burden toward the sky. The cross emerged from the crowd. As it did, the figure of Jesus Christ obscured the giant poster faces of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin that provided the backdrop for Gorbachev’s reviewing stand.
“Mikhail Sergeyevich!” one of the priests shouted, his deep voice cleaving the clamor of the protesters and piercing straight toward the angry Soviet leader. “Mikhail Sergeyevich! Christ is risen!”
The Body, Charles W. Colson, 1992, Word Publishing, p. 231
The Way of the Cross
Some of us stay at the cross, Some of us wait at the tomb, Quickened and raised with Christ Yet lingering still in the gloom.
Some of us ‘bide at the Passover feast With Pentecost all unknown, The triumphs of grace in the heavenly place That our Lord has made His own.
If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross, His work had been incomplete. If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb, He had only known defeat,
But the way of the cross never stops at the cross And the way of the tomb leads on To victorious grace in the heavenly place Where the risen Lord has gone.
Annie Johnson Flint
Source unknown
The Tomb is Empty
Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought Leggs pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh. Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, “That’s stupid. That’s not fair. Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”
Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.”
“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” the student retorted. “There’s nothing there!”
“I did so do it,” Philip insisted. “I did do it. It’s empty. The tomb was empty!”
Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.
Source unknown
The Day of Resurrection
The day of resurrection? Earth, tell it out abroad; The Passover of gladness, The Passover of God.
From death to life eternal, From this world to the sky, Our Christ hath brought us over With hymns of victory.
Now let the heavens be joyful, Let earth her song begin; Let the round world keep triumph, And all that is therein;
Let all things seen and unseen Their notes in gladness blend, For Christ the Lord hath risen, Our Joy that hath no end.
—John of Damascus
Source unknown
All who believe in Christ have hope in Him; all who believe in Him as Redeemer hope for redemption and salvation by Him; but if there be no resurrection, their hope in Him must be limited to this life. And if all their hopes in Christ lie within the compass of this life, they are in a much worse condition than the rest of humanity, especially at that time and under those conditions in which the apostles wrote, for then they were hated and persecuted by all people.
Preachers and believers therefore have a hard lot if in this life only they have hope in Christ. Better to be anything than a Christian under these terms! It is a gross absurdity in a Christian to admit the supposition of no resurrection or future state. It would leave no hope beyond this world, and would frequently make his condition the worst in the world. “Indeed, the Christian is by his religion crucified to this world, and taught to live upon the hope of another. Carnal pleasures are tasteless to him in a great degree, and spiritual and heavenly pleasures are those which he pants after. How sad is his case indeed, if he must be dead to worldly pleasures and yet never hope for any better!” – Matthew Henry
Source unknown
Family Devotions
For family devotions, Martin Luther once read the account of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22.
His wife, Katie, said, “I do not believe it. God would not have treated his son like that!”
“But, Katie,” Luther replied, “He did.”
The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 191
Which Way to Go
Dr. Seamands tells of a Muslim who became a Christian in Africa. “Some of his friends asked him, ‘Why have you become a Christian?’
He answered, ‘Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn’t know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive—which one would you ask which way to go?’“
Warren Webster, April, 1980, HIS, p. 13
Resources
• Tales of the Neverending, Mark Littleton, Moody, 1990, pp. 34ff
• The Expositor, W.R. Nicoll, ed., 3rd Series, Vol. 1, 1885, p. 474, “The Appearances of the Risen Jesus to all the Apostles,” B. B. Warfield.
Faith Lives Upon No Other
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands, For our offenses given; But now at God’s right hand He stands And brings us life from heaven; Therefore let us joyful be And sing to God right thankfully Loud songs of hallelujah.
It was a strange and dreadful strife When Life and Death contended; The victory remained with Life, The reign of Death was ended; Holy Scripture plainly saith That Death is swallowed up by Death, His sting is lost forever.
Then let us feast this Easter Day On Christ, the Bread of Heaven; The Word of Grace hath purged away The old and evil leaven. Christ alone our souls will feed. He is our meat and drink indeed; Faith lives upon no other.
– Martin Luther
Source unknown
Life Is Stronger
Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger; Stronger than the dark, the light; Stronger than the wrong, the right; Faith and Hope triumphant say, Christ will rise on Easter Day.
– Phillips Brooks
Source unknown
Once Upon a Time
Once upon a time
And out walks Jesus
There was a God
All over again;
Who so loved the world
Out stalks the
That he gave his son
Grinning, striding Jesus.
His only son.
Tight-lipped
And they took that son
Little people
And they hung him on a cross
Hover all day
And that son died.
Around the tomb
And they buried the son—
And cover it with
Sealed him up tight.
Incense
But God said,
And bow before it
“Oh no you don’t”
And walk before it
And he rolled back the rock,
And sigh before it;
He unsealed his son
And pray to it
And his son came out,
And sing to it
Came out walking and breathing
And weep to it
And he was Alive.
And lean on it.
And he’s alive today
And weep to it
And he walks around
And lean on it.
And he stalks around
And no one
Breathing life and life
Notices
Every morning just before dawn
Or at least
For thousands of years
They pretend not
Little grim people—
To notice,
Preachers and bankers and
The living
Storekeepers and students—
Breathing
Sneak up to the grave and
Walking
Roll back the stone
Talking
To seal it up tight.
Jesus
And every morning
Out on the
God roars
Edge calling
“Oh no you don’t!”
“Hey!”
And he flings back the stone.
“Hey you!”
Lois Cheney, God Is No Fool, pp 115, 116
The Strife Is Over
The strife is o’er, the battle done; The victory of life is won; The song of triumph has begun. Alleluia!
The powers of death have done their worst, But Christ their legions hath dispersed: Let shouts of holy joy outburst. Alleluia!
The three sad days have quickly sped; He rises glorious from the dead: All glory to our risen Head! Alleluia!
He closed the yawning gates of hell; The bars from heaven’s high portals fell; Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell. Alleluia!
Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee, From death’s dread sting Thy servants free, That we may live and sing to Thee. Alleluia!
Knowing Christ, Craig Glickman, p. 89ff, 7 words of Christ Truth for the Good Life, R. Lightner, p. 45, “It is Finished,”
Anti-God Rally
Dr. George Sweeting tells of an incident in the early 1920s when Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if the whole structure of belief was in ruins. Then questions were invited.
An Orthodox church priest rose and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, “He is risen!” Instantly the assembly rose to its feet and the reply came back loud and clear, “He is risen indeed!”
Today in the Word, September, 1989, p. 8.